UK Government publishes nuclear roadmap

The roadmap is intended to drive provision of a quarter of the UK’s electricity needs from nuclear energy by 2050.

The Civil Nuclear Roadmap sets out how the UK will increase nuclear generation by up to four times to 24GW by 2050.

The government will invest up to £300mln in UK production of the fuel required to power high-tech new nuclear reactors, known as HALEU, currently only commercially produced in Russia, with operations aimed to start in the early 2030s.

Plans are listed to secure three 7GW worth of investment decisions every five years from 2030 to 2044 on new nuclear projects. Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of Nuclear Industry Association, says ‘Decisions on three-7GW in each five-year period provide greater clarity and predictability.’

Two consultations will be published, with the aim of attracting investment, entitled Alternative routes to market for new nuclear projects and New Nuclear National Policy Statement: Siting Strategy.

Analysis by the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group suggests that to reach up to 24GW, the civil and defence nuclear workforce will need to double over the next 20 years – supporting around 80,000 additional skilled jobs across the UK.

The roadmap also outlines plans for decommissioning.